Making
Predictions: Baby Boom Coming?
Cranes
reach breeding age when they are 4 or 5 years old. They normally lay two
eggs, but usually only one chick survives. Look carefully at the chart
below and answer the following questions:
- In which
year did the whooping cranes produce the most babies?
- In which
year will these babies first start reproducing?
- In which
year would you expect these babies to first produce a significant number
of young?
- When these
young start reproducing, assuming their winter food is doing well, what
do you assume will happen to the population?
Winter
Season |
Adults |
Young |
Total |
|
130 |
28 |
159 |
1996-97 |
144 |
16 |
160 |
1997-98 |
152 |
30 |
182 |
1998-99 |
165 |
18 |
183 |
1999-00 |
171 |
17 |
188 |
2000-01 |
171 |
9 |
180 |
2001-02 |
161 |
15 |
176 |
2002-03 |
169 |
16 |
185 |
National
Science Education Standards
- Plants
and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into
adults, reproducing, and eventually dying.
Journey North is pleased to feature this educational
adventure made possible by the
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).
|